I went to Montana once to visit relatives. It was great to see them, don’t get me wrong, but I distinctly remember feeling the sky was going to swallow this city girl alive. I wasn’t big, as the state motto goes, it was huge. The whole place, with its soaring mountains and endless expanses, felt overwhelming.
I went to Montana this week again – and it was cozy as a knitting circle.
Indeed, it almost was a knitting circle.
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See here for the story.
Yes, that’s right, I barged myself into a Montana book group this week, albeit by Zoom, and met eight friends I didn’t know I had. We picked up chatting as if we’d been waiting for each other, covering everything from raising children to career reinvention. The only thing missing from the girls-night-out was the hugging at the end. (We did wave warmly.)
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I love the way Becoming You brings people together! Also this week, I watched in wonder as granddaughter Kim Murstein and grandmother Gail Rudnick, the power duo behind “Excuse My Grandma,” lovingly sorted out their differences with The Values Bridge as their guide. For a minute there, I forgot we were taping a podcast. Their conversation was that vulnerable, tender, and revelatory. If you get a chance to listen, wait for the moment when Kim admits she wishes she had more agency, and Gail suddenly and totally somehow gets it.
I live for this stuff. In Montana, in New York, and everywhere. Thank you for inviting me in. |
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After class this week, I ended up riding home with one of my part-time, working MBA students who also happens to live in my neighborhood. Within minutes of my (loving) interrogation, it was clear this wonderful human being was unhappy with her current work role in every possible way, but holding onto it for dear life.
This is “job hugging.” You’ve heard of it. People staying in miserable positions because the economy is so darn scary.
By the time we had reached mid-town, we were both pretty blue. “I don’t want this for you,” I told her. “I don’t want it for me either,” she said softly.
One thing you should know about this student – and it’s important – is that she is not taking Becoming You. (I teach other courses.) Another thing keeping her in her current job is massive uncertainty about her true purpose in life.
Why jump when you aren’t sure about what to jump to?
Look, Becoming You is not ever going to 100% job-proof you. But you are so much better off in a competitive environment if you know your values and aptitudes, and open your aperture to all the economy’s viable opportunities.
I am sure you know what class I told her she should take next semester. |
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We are a few days away from the annual gala for Humane World for Animals, the largest animal protection agency in the world (formerly known as the Humane Society). I’ve been on the board a long time, and each year, its big fundraising event is co-chaired by yours truly here and the inimitable Georgina Bloomberg. It is always an amazing and uplifting evening, filled with stories of the heroes of HWA who devote their lives to ending animal cruelty. For the gala, I also really get to dress up and wear super-glam make-up. This is fun.
Riddle me this, though. Why is there still cruelty against the sentient beings with whom we share this precious planet?
Why? We all know animals feel love and longing and pain and joy. I will never understand how some people compartmentalize it. Do you? If so, please, please enlighten me! Otherwise, this question will remain my “Hmm” forevermore, and can we agree, none of us want that!
Waving at you warmly, |
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What's coming?
→ Becoming You Certification Program, learn more here
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Two Boomers and a Zoomer Walk Into a Bar… And A Values Hoedown Ensues ft. "Excuse My Grandma"
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This week I welcome one of social media’s most beloved cross-generational duos: Kim Murstein and her grandmother, Gail Rudnick — the stars behind Excuse My Grandma. Their humorous and heartfelt take on dating, modern life, and generational differences has captured millions of fans, and now they’re bringing that electric dynamic to a values conversation like no other. This episode is a reminder that generational clashes don’t have to be battles — with the right language, they can become the bridges that unite us all.
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